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Dealer wants $660 to change differential fluid

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So...I live just outside NYC and took my 2018 JLU to the dealer for 30K maint. They want $330 to change the differential fluid...each.

is it just me or is this high? Is there anything special a dealer does that isn’t just a straight forward oil change?

I could change it myself but it’s time and hassle I’d rather spend elsewhere.

Thx
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Bryce

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Out of curiosity, is there a reason you have to do it at a certain time? Forgive the ignorance, but I'm no mechanic.
The lube will break down and there will be some metal in it. Could be other contaminants in it also (water from going too deep). They are not a sealed system. It has to breathe due to heat expansion.

It's on the 40K service for Severe Duty.

Fairly easy to do on these with lower drains. You don't have to take the covers off.
 

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gotta remember theyre gonna charge you about 140 an hour and probably about 3 hours labor plus oil. and if you have the limited slip there is an additive for the clutch plates. it is extremely high for what the job is but thats the dealer for you. might as well just get an oil pan and 4 qts of gear oil
 

UKCATS

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I would tell that dealership to gargle bleach. Do it yourself for a 1/10th the cost.
 

oceanblue2019

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So...I live just outside NYC and took my 2018 JLU to the dealer for 30K maint. They want $330 to change the differential fluid...each.

is it just me or is this high? Is there anything special a dealer does that isn’t just a straight forward oil change?

I could change it myself but it’s time and hassle I’d rather spend elsewhere.

Thx
Take that $660 and you can get yourself some nice new diff covers, some Royal Purple gear oil, and tools to do the job yourself and still have beer and pizza money left over.
 

BrntWS6

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See what your local mechanic wants for it. Or a speciality shop may do it as well, guys that mod 4x4's. I would trust those guys way more than the dealer anyway, usually they are enthusiasts.

I get some people just are not DIY'ers, but its a very easy job. $660 for an hours worth of work is excessive even for a dealer.
 

Oletimer

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Out of curiosity, is there a reason you have to do it at a certain time? Forgive the ignorance, but I'm no mechanic.
If there is a possibility on contamination is biggest reason.
After that its mostly just to make you feel good.
Ive run kenworth and Peterbuilt trucks 1 million miles with no gear oil change ever. Then sell it.
With that said, when my jeep has been stuck in water , i change fluids asap.
 

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aprez27

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So...I live just outside NYC and took my 2018 JLU to the dealer for 30K maint. They want $330 to change the differential fluid...each.

is it just me or is this high? Is there anything special a dealer does that isn’t just a straight forward oil change?

I could change it myself but it’s time and hassle I’d rather spend elsewhere.

Thx

I hope you laughed in his face. That's insane! I think most service stations charge about $79 for the same job. You can do it yourself too, not very difficult or time consuming.
 

BrntWS6

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gotta remember theyre gonna charge you about 140 an hour and probably about 3 hours labor plus oil. and if you have the limited slip there is an additive for the clutch plates. it is extremely high for what the job is but thats the dealer for you. might as well just get an oil pan and 4 qts of gear oil
Who charges $140/hr? Around here its in the $100-115/hr range.
 

roaniecowpony

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With the bottom drain plugs and top fill plugs, this job takes longer to put the jeep on the lift than the whole job. If a mechanic took more than 20 mins for both diffs, he's not much of a mechanic.

For us guys without a lift, the hard part is getting the oil into the diff. I haven't done this on my Jeep, but my truck is a bit tight to tip a oil bottle in there. I need to either have a long hose and someone to hold the bottle and squeeze or one of those hand pumps. Heating the oil bottles in a sink full of hot water helps it flow better too.
 

chevymitchell

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So...I live just outside NYC and took my 2018 JLU to the dealer for 30K maint. They want $330 to change the differential fluid...each.

is it just me or is this high? Is there anything special a dealer does that isn’t just a straight forward oil change?

I could change it myself but it’s time and hassle I’d rather spend elsewhere.

Thx
Damn man... that's crazy high.

You could buy 2 hookers, 3 tanks of gas, Diff Covers, FAD Skid, Chick-Fil-A for a week; oh, and still have enough left over to do this job three times.

Please take the time to do it yourself. It literally takes less than 10 minutes for each axle. 20 minutes if you drink a beer and grind out the square to fit the ratchet in the drain plug. I loathe dealerships' business models.
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